A signaling assembly is disclosed and which includes a reflective substrate having opposite first and second surfaces, and wherein the reflective substrate simultaneously reflects visibly discernible electromagnetic radiation, and passes visibly discernible electromagnetic radiation; a plurality of electromagnetic radiation emitters which are borne by the second surface and which, when energized, emit electromagnetic radiation; and a reflector is borne by the second surface and which directs the electromagnetic radiation emitted by some of the electromagnetic radiation emitters in a direction so that it may pass through the reflective substrate and be viewed from a location forward of the first surface, and the electromagnetic radiation emitted by a remainder of the electromagnetic radiation emitters in a direction so that it may be viewed from a location forward of the second surface.
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1. A signaling assembly comprising:
a reflective substrate having opposite first and second surfaces, and wherein the reflective substrate simultaneously reflects visibly discernible electromagnetic radiation, and passes visibly discernible electromagnetic radiation; a plurality of electromagnetic radiation emitters which are borne by the second surface and which, when energized, emit electromagnetic radiation; and a reflector borne by the second surface and which directs the electromagnetic radiation emitted by some of the electromagnetic radiation emitters in a direction so that it may pass through the reflective substrate and be viewed from a location forward of the first surface, and the electromagnetic radiation emitted by a remainder of the electromagnetic radiation emitters in a direction so that it may be viewed from a location forward of the second surface.
18. A signaling assembly, comprising:
a reflective substrate having opposite first and second surfaces; a plurality of electromagnetic radiation emitters borne by the second surface and which emit electromagnetic radiation, when energized; and a reflector having first and second portions, each of which has an axis of orientation, and wherein the first and second portions are each disposed in reflecting relation relative to a portion of the electromagnetic radiation emitters, and wherein the respective axes of orientation extend in different directions, one relative to the other, and wherein the first portion of the reflector directs emitted electromagnetic radiation in a direction so that it may pass through the reflective substrate and be viewed from locations forward of the first surface, and the second portion of the reflector directs emitted electromagnetic radiation in a direction so that it may be viewed from a location forward of the second surface.
32. A signaling assembly, comprising:
a housing mounted on an overland vehicle and which has a substantially opaque sidewall, and which defines an internal cavity, and first and second apertures, and wherein the housing has opposite first and second sides; a reflective substrate having opposite first and second surfaces, and wherein the second surface of the reflective substrate faces in the direction of the cavity, and wherein the reflective substrate substantially occludes the first aperture, and the first surface faces away from cavity, and wherein the reflective substrate is operable to both reflect and pass visibly discernible electromagnetic radiation; a translucent substrate disposed in substantially occluding relation relative to the second aperture; a plurality of electromagnetic radiation emitters mounted on the second surface of the reflective substrate and which each face in the direction of the cavity, and which, when energized emit visibly discernible electromagnetic radiation; and a reflector positioned in reflecting relation relative to the plurality of electromagnetic radiation emitters, and wherein the reflector has a first portion which reflects electromagnetic radiation emitted by at least one the electromagnetic radiation emitters in a direction where it is subsequently passed by the reflective substrate and can be seen from one side of the housing, and a second portion which reflects the electromagnetic radiation emitted by at least one of the electromagnetic radiation emitters through the translucent substrate which substantially occludes the second aperture, and wherein the electromagnetic radiation which passes through the translucent substrate can be viewed from the opposite side of the housing.
38. A signaling assembly for use on an overland vehicle, comprising:
a housing having a sidewall, and which defines first, second and third apertures, and first and second internal cavities; a reflective substrate supported by the housing and disposed in substantially occluding relation relative to the first aperture, and wherein the reflective substrate defines a first line of reference; an opaque circuit board supported by the housing and disposed in substantially occluding relation relative to the second aperture, and wherein the circuit board has a forwardly facing surface which defines a second line of reference, and a rearwardly facing surface which faces in the direction of the second internal cavity, and wherein the second line of reference is oriented in spaced relation relative to the first line of reference, and wherein the opaque circuit board defines a plurality of apertures, and wherein the third aperture which is defined by the housing communicates with the second internal cavity; a translucent substrate disposed in substantially occluding relation relative to the third aperture which is defined by the housing; a plurality of electromagnetic radiation emitters mounted on the rearwardly facing surface of the opaque circuit board, and which, when energized, emit electromagnetic radiation which passes through the apertures defined by the opaque circuit board and the translucent substrate; and a reflector mounted on the rearwardly facing surface of the opaque circuit board, and wherein the reflector has a first portion which is oriented in reflecting relation relative to some of the electromagnetic radiation emitters, and a second portion which is oriented in reflecting relation relative to the remainder of the electromagnetic radiation emitters.
2. A signaling assembly as claimed in
a housing defining an internal cavity, and further having an aperture, and wherein the emitters are received in the cavity, and wherein the reflective substrate substantially occludes the aperture, and the second surface of the reflective substrate faces in the direction of the cavity.
3. A signaling assembly as claimed in
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a substantially light transmissible substrate having opposite forward and rearward facing surfaces; and a reflective layer positioned in covering relation relative to one of the first or second surfaces, and wherein the plurality of electromagnetic radiation emitters are borne on the rearward facing surface.
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a housing having a sidewall and which defines a cavity, and wherein the sidewall further defines first and second apertures, and wherein the reflective substrate substantially occludes the first aperture, and wherein the second surface of the reflective substrate is received within the cavity; and a translucent substrate positioned in substantially occluding relation relative to the second aperture.
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a housing having a sidewall and which defines a cavity, and wherein the sidewall further defines first and second apertures, and wherein the reflective substrate substantially occludes the first aperture, and wherein the second surface of the reflective substrate faces in the direction of the cavity, and wherein the second portion of the reflector directs emitted electromagnetic radiation through the second aperture.
28. A signaling assembly as claimed in
a light transmissible substrate having opposite forward and rearward facing surfaces; and a reflective layer positioned in covering relation relative to one of the first, or second surfaces, and wherein the plurality of electromagnetic radiation emitters are borne on the rearward facing surface.
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The present invention relates to a signaling assembly which finds usefulness when installed on overland vehicles, and more particularly to a signaling assembly which when coupled with the controls of an overland vehicle may operate as a combined warning lamp and rear view mirror assembly, and which further provides a visibly discernible signal which can be viewed from a wide range of locations not possible heretofore.
The beneficial effects of employing auxiliary signaling assemblies have been disclosed in various United States Patents including U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,014,167; 5,207,492; 5,355,284; 5,361,190; 5,481,409; 5,499,169; 5,528,422; 6,005,724; and 6,257,746 all of which are incorporated by reference herein. The mirror assemblies disclosed in some of these patents teach the use of various dichroic mirrors which are operable to reflect a broad band electromagnetic radiation, within the visible light portion of the spectrum, while simultaneously permitting electromagnetic radiation having wavelengths which reside within a predetermined spectral band to pass therethrough. As disclosed in this earlier prior art, these same dichroic mirrors remain an excellent visual image reflector, that is, achieving luminous reflectance which is acceptable for automotive, and other industrial applications, while simultaneously achieving an average transmittance in the predetermined spectral band which is suitable for use as a visual signal at a wide range of distances and for various purposes.
While all of these prior art devices have worked with some degree of success, various shortcomings have been uncovered which have detracted from their wide spread use. Among the several shortcomings which have impeded commercial introduction has been the manufacturing costs associated with applying the rather complex optical coatings which are necessary to form the dichroic mirrors that are employed in these devices.
Still further, other devices have been introduced which diverge, to some degree, from the use of dichroic mirrors. These devices however, when built in accordance with their teachings, have been unable to provide the same performance characteristics as provided by the prior art which employs dichroic mirrors. Still further, other prior art references have described devices which attempt to provide the same functional benefits as described in these earlier patents. These references describe all manner of mirror housing modifications, where for example, lamps are located in various orientations to project light into predetermined areas both internally and/or beside the overland vehicle and to further provide auxiliary signaling or warning capability. Examples of these patents include U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,583,155; 4,646,210; 4,916,430; 5,059,015; 5,303,130; 5,371,659; 5,402,103; 5,497,306; and 5,436,741 to name but a few.
In addition to the shortcomings associated with fabricating a suitable dichroic coating for use in mirror assemblies as described in the prior art, the associated mirror housings have decreased in volume as a result of recent automotive platform design changes. Consequently, the amount of internal space which is available when these same housings are employed is quite limited. Therefore, the size and weight of an enclosed light emitting assembly employed in such signaling devices has become a significant factor in the development and commercial introduction of a suitable product.
To address these and other perceived shortcomings in the prior art, U.S. Pat. No. 6,005,724 disclosed a novel mirror assembly which employed a mirror substrate which is fabricated by using conventional techniques, and which includes a primary mirror surface region which reflects less than about 80% of a given band of visibly discernable electromagnetic radiation; and a secondary region adjacent thereto and through which electromagnetic radiation may pass. In mirrors of this design, the average reflection of the mirror coating is greater than about 50%. This novel invention resulted in significant decreases in the manufacturing costs for devices of this type. Still further, the perceived safety advantages of using such auxiliary signaling devices has now been well established, inasmuch as these same signaling assemblies provide a convenient means whereby an operator may signal vehicles which are adjacent to, and rearwardly oriented relative to an overland vehicle equipped with same, of their intention, for example, to change lanes, turn, or perform other vehicle maneuvers which would be of interest to vehicles traveling adjacent thereto.
A signaling assembly which achieves these and other advantages is the subject matter of the present application.
Therefore one aspect of the present invention relates to a signaling assembly which includes a reflective substrate having opposite first and second surfaces, and wherein the reflective substrate simultaneously reflects visibly discernable electromagnetic radiation, and passes visibly discernable electromagnetic radiation; a plurality of electromagnetic radiation emitters which are borne by the second surface and which, when energized, emit electromagnetic radiation; and a reflector borne by the second surface and which directs the electromagnetic radiation emitted by some of the electromagnetic radiation emitters in a direction so that it may pass through the reflective substrate and be viewed from a location forward of the first surface, and the electromagnetic radiation emitted by a remainder of the electromagnetic radiation emitters in a direction so they may be viewed from a location forward of the second surface.
Another aspect of the present invention relates to a signaling assembly which includes, a reflective substrate having opposite first and second surfaces; a plurality of electromagnetic radiation emitters borne by the second surface and which emit electromagnetic radiation when energized; and a reflector having first and second portions each of which has an axis of orientation, and wherein the first and second portions are each disposed in reflecting relation relative to a portion of the electromagnetic radiation emitters, and wherein the respective axes of orientation extend in diverging substantially opposite relation one relative to the other, and wherein the first portion of the reflector directs emitted electromagnetic radiation in a direction so that it may pass through the reflective substrate and be viewed from locations forward of the first surface, and the second portion of the reflector directs emitted electromagnetic radiation in a direction so that it may be viewed from a location forward of the second surface.
Still another aspect of the present invention relates to a signaling assembly which includes a housing mounted on an overland vehicle and which has a substantially opaque sidewall, and which defines an internal cavity, and first and second apertures, and wherein the housing has first and second sides; a reflective substrate positioned in substantially occluding relation relative to the first aperture, and further having opposite first and second surfaces, and wherein the second surface of the reflective substrate faces in the direction of the cavity, and the first surface faces away from the cavity, and wherein the reflective substrate is operable to both reflect and pass visibly discernable electromagnetic radiation; a translucent substrate disposed in substantially occluding relation relative to the second aperture; a plurality of electromagnetic radiation emitters mounted on the second surface of the reflective substrate, and which each face in the direction of the cavity, and which, when energized, emit visibly discernable electromagnetic radiation; and a reflector positioned in reflecting relation relative to the plurality of electromagnetic radiation emitters, and wherein the reflector has a first portion which reflects electromagnetic radiation emitted by at least one of the electromagnetic radiation emitters in a direction where it is subsequently passed by the reflective substrate and can be seen from one side of the housing, and a second portion which reflects electromagnetic radiation emitted by at least one of the electromagnetic radiation emitters through the translucent substrate which substantially occludes the second aperture, and wherein the electromagnetic radiation which passes through the translucent substrate can be viewed from the opposite side of the housing.
Yet still a further aspect of the present invention relates to a signaling assembly for use on an overland vehicle and which includes a housing having a sidewall, and which defines first and second internal cavities and first, second and third apertures; a reflective substrate supported by the housing and disposed in substantially occluding relation relative to the first aperture; and wherein the reflective substrate defines a first line of reference; a first light transmissible substrate supported by the housing and disposed in substantially occluding relation relative to the second aperture, and wherein the light transmissible substrate has a forward facing surface which defines a second line of reference, and a rearward facing surface which faces in the direction of the second internal cavity, and wherein the second line of reference is oriented in spaced, relation relative to the first line of reference, and wherein the third aperture communicates with the second internal cavity, and a translucent substrate is disposed in substantially occluding relation relative to the third aperture; a plurality of electromagnetic radiation emitters mounted on the rearwardly facing surface of the light transmissible substrate and which, when energized, emit electromagnetic radiation which passes through the light transmissible substrate and the translucent substrate; and a reflector mounted on the rearwardly facing surface of the light transmissible substrate, and wherein the reflector has a first portion which is oriented in reflecting relation relative to some of the electromagnetic radiation emitters, and a second portion which is oriented in reflecting relation relative to the remainder of the electromagnetic radiation emitters.
These and other aspects of the present invention will be discussed in greater detail hereinafter.
Preferred embodiments of the invention are described below with reference to the following accompanying drawings.
This disclosure of the invention is submitted in furtherance of the constitutional purposes of the U.S. Patent Laws "to promote the progress of science and useful arts" (Article 1, Section 8).
A first form of a signaling assembly which incorporates the teachings of the present invention is best seen by reference to the numeral 10 in
As best seen by reference to
A reflective layer which is generally indicated by the numeral 50, is positioned in at least partial covering relation relative to one of the first or second surfaces 44 or 45 of the light transmissible substrate. As should be understood, the location of the reflective layer on either one of these two surfaces will not meaningfully effect the operation of the present invention. As seen in
In an alternative embodiment, the reflective layer 50 which comprises chromium may be deposited to a given reduced thickness which permits the passage of increasing amounts of electromagnetic radiation therethrough. Such a reflective layer is typically referred to as "thin chrome." One skilled in the art is readily capable of calculating the thickness of the chromium which must be deposited in order to form a reflective layer 50 which passes the desired amounts of visibly discernable electromagnetic radiation. In yet still a further embodiment, the reflective layer 50 may be deposited on the light transmissible substrate in a manner to form two portions, that is a first portion comprising chromium which is deposited to a thickness which passes less than about 6% of ambient visible electromagnetic radiation, and a second portion having a thickness less than the first portion, and which passes electromagnetic radiation in an amount greater than about 6%. In this arrangement, the blemish, which would normally result in the mirror 40 and which is caused by the formation of the aperture 51 in the reflective layer 50 is substantially avoided, because the first surface 41 of the reflective substrate 40 would appear to a casual observer as being substantially continuous.
Regardless of the form of the reflective substrate 40 which is chosen to occlude the first aperture 31 of the housing 21, the reflective substrate is operable to simultaneously reflect visibly discernable electromagnetic radiation and pass visibly discernable electromagnetic radiation for the purposes which are described below.
As seen in
As seen most clearly by reference to
As seen in
As illustrated in
As best seen by reference to
Therefore with respect to the first form of the invention 10 as seen in
More specifically, the first form of the invention relates to a signaling assembly 10 which has a reflective substrate 40 having opposite first and second surfaces 41 and 42. The signaling assembly 10 includes a plurality of electromagnetic radiation emitters 60 which are borne by the second surface 42, and which emit electromagnetic radiation 61, when energized. Still further a reflector 70 is provided and which has first and second portions 71 and 72. Each portion has an axis of orientation 43. The first and second portions 71 and 72 are each disposed in reflecting relation relative to a portion of the electromagnetic radiation emitters 60. The respective axes of orientation 73 extend in diverging, opposite or different directions, one relative to the other. The first portion 71 of the reflector 70 directs emitted electromagnetic radiation 61 in a direction so that it may pass through the reflective substrate 40 and be viewed from locations 74 forward of the first surface 41, and the second portion 72 of the reflector 70 directs emitted electromagnetic radiation in a direction so that it may be viewed from a location 75 and which is forward of the second surface 42.
The signaling assembly 10, in the first form of the invention as seen most specifically by reference to
The second form of the present invention is generally indicated by the numeral 100 and is best seen by reference to
As seen in
An opaque circuit board 130 is supported by the housing 101 and disposed in substantially occluding relation relative to the second aperture 112 (FIG. 9). The opaque circuit board has a first or forward facing surface 131 and an opposite or second surface 132. The first forwardly facing surface 131 defines a second line of reference 133 which is oriented in spaced relation relative to the first line of reference 121. As seen by reference to
A plurality of electromagnetic radiation emitters 140 are mounted on the second or rearwardly facing surface 132 of the opaque circuit board 130. Similar to that described by the first form of the invention 10, the electromagnetic radiation emitters 140 when energized, emit electromagnetic radiation 141 which passes through the aperture 135 formed in the opaque circuit board 130, and the translucent substrate 134.
As seen in
Therefore, it will be seen that the signaling assemblies 10 and 100 of the present invention provides a convenient means by which the shortcomings of the prior art devices or assemblies can be readily rectified and which further provides a signaling assembly which achieves additional benefits by providing a visible signal which can be seen through a wide range of locations relative to the overland vehicle and which has not been possible heretofore.
In compliance with the statute, the invention has been described in language more or less specific as to structural and methodical features. It is to be understood, however, that the invention is not limited to the specific features shown and described, since the means herein disclosed comprise preferred forms of putting the invention into effect. The invention is, therefore, claimed in any of its forms or modifications within the proper scope of the appended claims appropriately interpreted in accordance with the doctrine of equivalents.
Todd, Daniel R., Mathieu, Daniel J., Bukosky, Allen A.
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Oct 24 2002 | BUKOSKY, ALLEN A | K W MUTH COMPANY, INC | ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST SEE DOCUMENT FOR DETAILS | 013441 | /0612 | |
Oct 24 2002 | MATHIEU, DANIEL J | K W MUTH COMPANY, INC | ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST SEE DOCUMENT FOR DETAILS | 013441 | /0612 | |
Oct 28 2002 | TODD, DANIEL R | K W MUTH COMPANY, INC | ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST SEE DOCUMENT FOR DETAILS | 013441 | /0585 | |
Oct 29 2002 | K.W. Muth Company | (assignment on the face of the patent) | / | |||
Oct 16 2015 | K W MUTH COMPANY, INC | Muth Mirror Systems, LLC | ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST SEE DOCUMENT FOR DETAILS | 037064 | /0951 | |
Feb 29 2016 | Muth Mirror Systems, LLC | ALLY BANK | SECURITY AGREEMENT | 037956 | /0044 | |
Apr 23 2019 | ALLY BANK | Muth Mirror Systems, LLC | RELEASE BY SECURED PARTY SEE DOCUMENT FOR DETAILS | 048974 | /0945 | |
Apr 23 2019 | Muth Mirror Systems, LLC | BSP AGENCY, LLC, AS AGENT | SECURITY INTEREST SEE DOCUMENT FOR DETAILS | 048974 | /0973 |
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